BEIJING  -  Business to Business (B2B) roadshows will enhance leather and fisheries trade between China and Pakistan, said Secretary Board of Investment (BOI), Rahim Hayat Qureshi. The inaugural B2B Roadshow focusing on fisheries was successfully held in Qingdao on October 29, and the next Roadshow, on leather and footwear, is scheduled for November 5, in Guangzhou.

The Board of Investment Pakistan, in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan and the Consulates General in China, has arranged the shows, as has been directed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Board of Investment, Rahim Qureshi visited the upcoming Canton Fair on October 31, where he received a warm welcome from the organizers.

The Secretary was provided with an overview and history of the Canton Fair, recognized as one of the world’s leading trade fairs.

During his visit, he toured the Pakistan Pavilion and informed exhibitors about the investment potential and joint ventures in priority sectors of Pakistan, including textiles.

He encouraged prominent textile exporters to participate in the Roadshow on Textile to explore opportunities for collaboration with Chinese firms.

Prominent Pakistani companies, including 30 representatives from 17 fisheries companies and 16 executives from 10 institutions are to participate in the Leather Show.

Pakistan has evolved an integrated strategy to cooperate with business enterprises in China and with this initiative the Pakistani business community can access to the American and European markets through global roadshows.

Meanwhile, the China-Pakistan Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Industrial Center of Excellence was unveiled at the Belt and Road Digital Education Development Forum in Beijing.

In a bid to train more Pakistani youth in Chinese language and vocational skills, 15 key disciplines including IoT, automation, textile, big data, engineering, etc. would be prioritised in the following year, with digital curriculum to be developed under a mutually-formulated set of standards, and teachers will be trained to upgrade their vocational knowledge, CEN reported on Saturday.

Industry-specific committees in textile, resource and environment, and food were set up in tandem, which are expected to equip students with exceptional internship and employment opportunities in these sectors, contributing to economic cooperation and development of Pakistan.

“This move comes in line with the desire for talent by Chinese companies investing in Pakistan and by local companies as well which are catching up with the tide of industrial upgrade, said Ammar Muhammad, Secretary General of China Pakistan International Industrial Academic Integration Alliance. So far, the alliance has attracted the participation of over 300 universities and colleges, and more than 80 enterprises in China and Pakistan, providing vocational training in a variety of key sectors such as agriculture, information, health, energy, etc.

Apart from skill development, the establishment of eight smart Chinese language centers is listed in the first-year plan of the TVET – Industrial Center, with the first one unveiled at the conference, which would be supported by Liaoning Petrochemical College. China-Pakistan cooperation on vocational education has been on the fast track since 2021. Earlier this year, the first IT City of Pakistan was inaugurated in Lahore under bilateral cooperation, providing local young people with training on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, graphic design, cybersecurity, data analytics, machine learning, and game development. “Last year, Chinese enterprises registered RMB 220 billion of non-financial investment in Belt and Road countries, up by 28 percent year on year. In many scenarios, the demand for low-skilled workforce shrinks, such as unmanned factories. This is happening at a faster pace than ever, urging us to build a local service ecology while helping partner countries cope with the impact of new technologies,” said Li Jinsong, President of Tang International Education Group, an organizer of the forum and herald of the Chinese language plus skill development mode of vocational education.